Prairie Recommends: Taibbi on Populism

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Context for the upcoming political fray as we move actively into the campaign season.
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Prairie Recommends: Taibbi on Healthcare Debacle

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If you've had the growing suspicion that the so-called health care reform effort making its way through the well-$oiled machinations of Washington would end up working out very well for everyone BUT those who need it most, namely patients and their families, then maybe you don't need to read Matt Taibbi's Rolling Stone article, Sick and Wrong, How Washington is screwing up health care reform....

Or his follow-up blogpost on Maria Bartiromo as a case study of how the media elite just add further to the screwing of everyday American health care patients and families.

During the two weeks Mr. Sunshine and I spent at Mayo this summer, talking with people about those machinations, the greatest fear of families and medical personnel alike was that Washington would end up making things worse, much worse, instead of better.

And given that health care reform has reduced all of us to mere pawns getting rooked on the giant partisan/profiteering game board, I'm seeing that greatest fear growing ever more likely.

I recommend Taibbi's article to you not because I'm usually of a mind to just engage in preaching to the choir, but because as one voter, one constitutent, one liberal voice in a Blue Dog red state, one wife, one survivor, one widow of one patient, at the very least, Taibbi articulates for me in no uncertain terms the labels that should be pinned on each of their craven political or media souls. And scoundrel is the least of them.
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crossposted at firedoglake's The Seminal

Prairie's Reading: Taibbi on Torture

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Matt Taibbi takes on the absurdity of the if-you're-not-with-us-you're agin-us argument on torture.

You know the one...the rightwing screeders use it all the time. If you're against torture, you're with the terrorists. Heard it as recently as tonight from the lips of Frank Gaffney on Hardball. [pssssst to Schuster...this guy makes me want to vomit a lot more than Miz Prejean Pressboobs does]

Now if you'll excuse me, folks, it's time to take the spaniels into the back yard for a dump...their toxic waste has kept the terrorists away for thirty years...I'm just sayin'.
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crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette

Prairie's Reading: Taibbi on Rightness

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Rolling Stone's genius writer Matt Taibbi recounts why McCain and Palin, yes, and even the brush cutter, have done everything in their power to restore what's right with America.
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The Great Derangement

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If you haven't seen it yet on Youtube, give yourself a treat...and good thinking...this day.

The Great Derangement

And another author gets squelched from appearing on MTP.... This looks to be exactly the book the entire country needs to read before we head to the polls and pick our candidates.

Oh, and A+ to the publisher's marketing team on this one...
Taibbi starts this day on Imus, and if the WABC marketing team has any savvy, they'll have the link up pronto [we'll update when they do]. Meanwhile, don't miss the Youtube spot.

Rights of Spring

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Chuck Hagel telling Blitzed that Iraq is a fiasco, the framing is wrong...cannot call it win or lose or we'll be there forever...Bush is Alice in Wonderland.

Just in case you hadn't heard that elsewhere.

Blitzed: but, but, but, but...who you gonna endorse, when you gonna endorse, don't you know it's all about "us" and the horse race??????????????

This is a right of spring I have a right to expect from the media if they expect me to take them seriously: Knock off the phony horse race/slugfest memes. Get real.

UPDATE: Some people are...getting real. Matt Taibbi this morning on Imus [interpret the pigeon crap however you will, stay for the conversation about media role....]